Clear Channel is on the move. They announced today that they are rebranding the company name from Clear Channel RADIO, to CLEAR CHANNEL MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT.
CEO Bob Pittman says, “I’ve watched as CLEAR CHANNEL RADIO has pushed beyond the traditional boundaries of radio to reach more Americans every month … through an unmatched combination of broadcast, satellite, online and mobile assets. The new CLEAR CHANNEL MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT brand underscores that we are taking our brands and content wherever our listeners expect to find it. And, in the future, as new places emerge where people want to access our powerful brands and content, we’ll be there, too.”
Look below on my earlier post (Circle the Wagons) about CC’s iHeartradio platform welcoming Cumulus and Greater Media stations to the fold, I mentioned that, “savvy programmers know that the business is (today)…about ALL THE CONDUITS available to us that disseminate the product we manufacture.” Webcasts, Podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, Apps… et. al. Importantly for us, the CC re-brand underlines the importance this year that we should all be thinking in bigger, more global ways to reach our audience. We should always looking for and asking ourselves, what are the new ways that we can connect with our audience?
Look for more companies to make similar distinctions this year on how they position their “Radio” brand.